Nobody knows how to be a villain better than me.

"Snapped!"

The sharp tap on the snake's head jolted it awake from its reverie, and its owner, who was giving a lesson, wrinkled her nose in displeasure.

Lin Xian shrank his neck, lowered his head, and gently licked Ai Lei's hand with his tongue, sincerely apologizing to his teacher.

Well, we'll talk about that troublemaker later. It's not his place to worry about that now. Let's focus on our studies.

Seeing that the little guy was so sensible, Ai Lei couldn't get angry, so she continued the previous topic and explained. Lin Xian, who was even more serious, nodded frequently and kept taking notes.

"As I said before, the rule of mystery is that the older it is, the more powerful it is."

"In fact, the advancement and strengthening of species is a process of tracing back to the origin of life."

"According to the prophecy of the Marduk Tablets of Destiny, after the birth of the gods, the Mesopotamian world would successively experience four ages: the Golden Age, the Silver Age, the Bronze Age, and the Iron Age..."

“Each change is a dilution and suppression of the bloodline power of different species.”

"Taking humans as an example, during this process, their physical constitution will gradually weaken, their control over magic will continuously decrease, and their connection with the gods will be gradually severed."

"In the end, the mystery surrounding most of humanity will be stripped away, and they will be reduced to ordinary existences."

Lin Xian rolled up the slate and wrote down his questions with a soft rustling sound.

"most?"

Ai Lei nodded slightly, her eyes glancing meaningfully at the sky above the Underworld.

"The general trend of the evolution of the mystery of species is indeed a continuous decline, but there are always some extraordinary ones that can go against the tide of the times."

"Theoretically, when the ether content decreases, the blood is diluted, and perception is restricted."

"But those who go against the tide can learn, experiment, and summarize their experiences to develop various techniques for becoming stronger."

"Simply put, if the basic stats of an average adult human in the Golden Age are 1000, in the Silver Age they are 500, in the Bronze Age they are 100, and in the Iron Age they are 10."

"The mysterious abilities possessed by humans born in the Iron Age are mostly limited to this narrow range."

"However, a small number of individuals, by unleashing their own potential, awakening their ancient bloodline, or mastering extraordinary wisdom, are able to increase the value of 10."

"Breaking through 100 is the Bronze rank, reaching 500 is the Silver rank, and reaching 1000 is the Gold rank."

Lin Xian tilted his head and raised the writing board, his thoughts drifting off course.

"In an era where Iron rank players are everywhere, wouldn't a Gold rank player just dominate in low-ranked matches?"

Ai Lei nodded naturally, her expression serious.

"Of course, if a human can purify their bloodline and master skills under the conditions of the Iron Age, they can ascend to the Gold rank."

"Then his power will far surpass that of this era! One man can become an army!"

"Among humans, they are often called heroes, saints, or war gods."

The ancient serpent couldn't help but think of the future era when the gods had disappeared, the legends of Moses parting the Red Sea, the paladin Roland splitting the mountains with Durandal, and Sigurd slaying the dragon, and it seemed to be deep in thought.

To put it bluntly, this gap has existed from ancient times to the present, and the Babylonian gods were no different to people of this era.

Moreover, the older they are, the higher their origins and achievements. As each generation of creatures deteriorates and their mystique fades, the difference between them and their ancestors becomes increasingly absurd.

The disparity between them could be as great as that between the Zentradi and the Upper Cave Man.

After a moment of digestion, Lin Xian looked down at his slender body and wrote his question on the clay tablet.

"What about us?"

Ai Lei reached out and stroked the little guy's head, giving him a comforting smile.

"The principle is roughly the same."

"Your ranks, from lowest to highest, are roughly these four: Beast, Monster, Mythical Beast, and Divine Beast. (This is basically the original setting found in Fate.)"

"However, beasts are diverse in species and enormous in size, and their reproduction and replacement speed is faster than that of humans, resulting in more severe deterioration of their bloodlines."

"Therefore, these four types of beasts have coexisted since the Golden Age, but their numbers have increased or decreased with changes in the environment and time."

"And the Heavenly Bull, Gugalana, has been the most supreme divine beast since ancient times!"

A faint smile, tinged with mockery, flickered in the owner's blood-red eyes.

"Of course, due to the differences in species, some are good at fighting, some are good at creating, and some are good at hiding. Rank does not completely represent strength or defeat."

"Even though you are relatively weak now, and are only a magical beast that has just learned to manipulate magic."

"But if you could crawl inside Gugalana's belly, take a bite out of its heart, and inject venom, you might have a sliver of a chance to win."

After offering a few words of comfort, the goddess stroked the ancient snake's cool scales, teaching while petting the pet.

"Well, it's time for questions."

"Little one, if you have any questions, just say them."

Lin Xian let his owner's fingers play on his head, his thoughts racing, treating this leisure time as a serious Q&A session.

What era is Uruk in now?

"Well, it was probably the end of the Silver Age."

"At this time, the Mesopotamian world had become relatively stable, and under strong restrictions, the gods could not freely descend to the surface of the earth where humans lived."

"We can only appear through spirit possession or in the form of clones, and we have gradually severed ties with humans."

"When the gods can only offer simple responses and offer faint revelations, unable to effectively intervene on the earth's surface, that will be the time for heroes to rise and saints to guide humanity's future."

"This is the so-called Bronze Age, when mankind will no longer rely solely on gods, but will forge civilization with swords and fire."

"In the end, the gods will disappear, and mystery will only exist in certain bloodlines. Most people will become mediocre, and the darkest Iron Age will arrive."

Yes, isn't that the state of the modern world?

That is why the magicians of the future, in order to prevent the complete severance of mystery, ingeniously developed a method of continuously purifying bloodline power through intermarriage.

This achievement seems to be called something like "magic engraving".

"I thought this was the golden age, after all, that Hero King's aesthetic is a bit too retro."

Lin Xian thought of a guy who was all gold and glittering, and scribbled down a sarcastic comment, but to her surprise, Ai Lei nodded slightly.

"Don't let his young age fool you, this guy has lived for a very long time, he was born back in the Golden Age."

"Just how old is he?"

Lin Xian was very curious, his heart burning with gossip.

"That guy has ruled Uruk for over 500 years, longer than some of the more surviving mythical beasts!"

"I even suspect that unless this guy commits suicide, I won't see him die even on the day the underworld and the surface are cut off."

Ai Lei rolled her eyes and complained, her pent-up desire for revenge making her feel depressed and resting her chin on her hand.

"Okay, so were the people of the Silver Age very strong?"

Lin Xian was somewhat curious, as he had never encountered a real Sumerian other than Gilgamesh, that freak, and the ghosts of the underworld.

In the future, when dealing with these guys, it's essential to understand their skill level.

Ai Lei thought for a moment and then gave a casual reply.

"Well, how should I put it, it's just okay..."

"Presumably, soldiers can use combat skills and resonate with their bloodline and ether."

“Witches or priestesses can perform magic, summon spirits, or communicate with the gods.”

At this moment, the goddess glanced at the ancient snake, who was deep in thought, frowned slightly, flicked her finger on the little guy's forehead, and sternly threatened him.

"What are you thinking! It depends on who you're comparing yourself to!"

"Did you know that Sumer has a tradition where ordinary people often choose to enter the cedar forest to hunt a magical beast as a coming-of-age ceremony?"

"Something as small as you is basically only good for making soup!"

Lin Xian's eyelids twitched, and she vaguely remembered.

In the future, after the Absolute Monster Front Babylonia was completed, the soldiers of Uruk repelled wave after wave of monster hordes and wiped out opponents several times their size.

Even with the city walls as an element, these creatures, created using the [Genesis 11 Monsters] as a template, are not ordinary monsters like those in the Cedar Forest.

This demonstrates just how powerful the Sumerian warriors of the Silver Age were!

This is just a normally growing Silver-level adult human. If they encountered someone who could awaken their bloodline power and cast magic or divine spells...

Right now, I might actually be a vegetable deliveryman.

So, train diligently, and at least don't go out and wander around until you've mastered even a sliver of beastly power.

Chapter Fifteen: The Pit-Digging Maniac, Ereshkigal

"Lady Aileen, so you mean our goals in cultivation are twofold: to master techniques and to purify our bloodlines and trace back to the world's primordial power, right?"

"And right now, iron, bronze, silver, and gold are the ranks that define the evolutionary levels from low to high?"

Lin Xian briefly summarized the main points on the clay tablet and handed it to the teacher for review.

The goddess of the underworld was quite surprised by the intelligence and learning ability of the magical beast.

Ai Lei nodded with satisfaction to show her encouragement.

"What would happen if a normal adult human awakened their bloodline power and advanced to the Gold level?"

To gain a deeper understanding of the differences between the different levels, Lin Xian continued to ask questions.

"By purifying the bloodline and using divine power, we can achieve a qualitative leap!"

Ai Lei paused for a moment, then gave Lin Xian a more detailed explanation.

"In ancient times, Marduk, the King of Kings, led the gods to defeat the great calamity Tiamat and used her enormous corpse to forge the heavens and the earth, as well as the stars and thunder of the world."

"In gratitude to Marduk, the gods built the city of Babylon and its temples for him."

"And Marduk, in gratitude to the gods, used the flesh and blood of Kingu, the son of Tiamat, to create humankind to serve the gods."

"In the Golden Age, humans and gods lived together, and the newborn humans learned much wisdom and skills from the gods."

"Furthermore, these species, born from the flesh and blood of King Gu, inherited his power, possess long lifespans, can read cuneiform script, and use magic at will."

"Therefore, the humans of the Golden Age were extremely close to being gods."

By blood relation, isn't Kingu the brother of the Babylonian gods?

Therefore, humans born from his flesh and blood are equivalent to natural-born descendants of gods.

According to Ayre, the advancement of humanity is about tracing back to its origins.

In this process, the power originating from God will be gradually awakened.

The bloodline inherited from God will be continuously refined.

Thinking of this, Lin Xian flicked his tongue, hesitated for a moment, and finally raised the writing board.

What lies above the Gold rank?

Ai Lei paused slightly, her lips pursed, and her brows furrowed.

"Demigod!"

"The Gold level is the process of constantly awakening divine power and purifying bloodline. When the divine blood in the human body accounts for more than half of the content, then they are demigods."

“These life forms are actually transforming into another species. They possess power similar to that of gods, but lack the authority and corresponding status to control them.”

If one possesses power and status…

Lin Xian suppressed her instinct to continue asking questions and concealed her subtle emotions.

In fact, the Destiny Tablets that planned the Mesopotamian world contained not four eras, but five!

Before the Golden Age, there was the Age of Gods!

Therefore, demigods represent the transition from gold to divinity.

Humans were born from the flesh and blood of God. If we trace back to the origin, given the right conditions, they could naturally be elevated to the status of gods.

But there are only so many divine positions, and the more times the power is divided, the weaker the power one holds becomes.

The space for humans and beasts to ascend to godhood has been essentially blocked.

The easiest way to become a god is to kill a low-level god, extract his divine essence, and take his place.